


Ethereal

by saige_12358



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Flirting, Fluff and Angst, George - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minecraft, Sad, Touch-Starved GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), dream - Freeform, sapnap - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29338497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saige_12358/pseuds/saige_12358
Summary: “George?” Dream asks worriedly, not bothering to do small talk.“Y-yeah?” George tries to say but it comes out strangled, his cheeks flush red with embarrassment and he clears his throat.“Sorry” he mutters quietly, so as to not hurt his throat.“What's going on?” Dream asks sternly, his panicked voice contrasting with George's broken one.“Nothing, I've just been tired recently,” George replies, trying to sell the idea his absence in everyone's life is just because he likes sleeping.“Bullshit” Dream scoffs, making George roll his eyes, “do I need to fly out to you and prove you’re not doing okay?” he challenges, his competitive nature showing through his concern.“You’re not going to fly here Dream,” George says with a twinge of annoyance, “plus you have no reason to”.  Dream sighs heavily seeming to be lost in thought, “see you soon gogy” he says before hanging up.
Kudos: 29





	Ethereal

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy :)

Tears stream silently down George's red cheeks and sobs rack his body. He bites onto his palm trying to muffle his cries. His chest squeezes as he desperately gasps for air. His fingers dig into the blanket laying on the bed next to where he sits, he forces his eyes shut, repeatedly banging his head against the wall behind him.  
He can’t get control of his thoughts, everything is spiraling too fast for him to grasp onto. Before he can choke out another sob his phone starts loudly ringing next to him making him jump slightly. The short-lived fear stops his tears and he glances at the name.

_Dream_

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he never calls him from his number, it's always on Discord or Teamspeak. He picks it up quickly, not wanting it to ring out.  
“George?” Dream asks worriedly, not bothering to do small talk.  
“Y-yeah?” George tries to say but it comes out strangled, his cheeks flush red with embarrassment and he clears his throat.  
“Sorry” he mutters quietly, so as to not hurt his throat.“What's going on?” Dream asks sternly, his panicked voice contrasting with George's broken one.  
“Nothing, I've just been tired recently,” George replies, trying to sell the idea his absence in everyone's life is just because he likes sleeping.  
“Bullshit” Dream scoffs, making George roll his eyes, “do I need to fly out to you and prove you’re not doing okay?” he challenges, his competitive nature showing through his concern.  
“You’re not going to fly here Dream,” George says with a twinge of annoyance, “plus you have no reason to”. Dream sighs heavily seeming to be lost in thought, “see you soon gogy” he says before hanging up.  
George rolls his eyes once more, knowing Dream isn't actually going to buy a plane ticket just to check up on him. George sets his phone down, not knowing what to do after his friend hangs up. He can’t remember the exact reason he was crying before the call. He stands up, only to fall back onto his bed after his legs can’t comfortably hold his weight. He wipes away an unshed tear out of frustration.  
The stillness of his apartment is eerie, always making George's stomach flip when he focuses on the ear-piercing silence. His body is exhausted from the short day he's already been through, he glances at his streaming setup, he wishes he had enough energy to do something with it but it feels so far away and his pillow seems so close. So close and so comforting, he lowers his head to rest on the cold sheets and he slips away.

~

There's a light knock on the door of Georges's apartment, the brunette is too busy lying unconscious on the floor to hear. Dream unlocks the door with a key George sent him as a joke months ago, pushing it open with his shoulder and throwing a small duffle bag into the living room. He immediately notices how cold it is, shivering.  
“George?” He calls out quietly, trying to alert the boy he's in his house but not alarm him. He repeats himself a few times, his worry grows with each second he doesn't get a reply, he quickly walks around the apartment checking in every room until he finds what he assumes to be George's room due to the pc set up. Dream frantically looks around trying to find George, he pushes the bathroom door open to see George passed out on the cold tile. His face drops and he kneels down, pressing two warm fingers to George's neck, checking his pulse. Dream reminds himself of the first aid courses he was forced to take, he counts the beats, they’re too slow.  
“Hey George,” He says softly, shaking the brunette, “can you wake up please?” he only gets a half-hearted grunt from the smaller. Dream sighs and slides his arms underneath him, easily picking up the light boy bridal style and walking the short distance back to the bed. He carefully sets him down, worry setting in as he can finally see how dark the circles are under his eyes and how thin he's gotten. Dream pulls the comforter over him, along with another blanket to ensure he doesn't get cold. He remembers George at one point told him and Sapnap that he liked falling asleep to music, Dream finds George's phone on the floor and picks it up. He tries a few passwords before eventually getting in and going straight to Spotify, he shuffles one of Georges playlists and sets the phone next to him on the bedside table.  
Dream sits on the floor next to the bed, watching the way George's chest rises and falls with his breathing. The soft noises he makes as he tries to muster the energy to sleep talk, Dream has witnessed him sleep talking only a few times when they were on a call together and fell asleep. He sighs once more, taking Georges alarmingly cold hand and holding it in his own warm one. Dream closes his eyes and lets his forehead rest against the side of the bed, the jet-lag starts to catch up to him and his eyelids droop. He’s not sure if he actually manages to fall asleep.  
George's hand moves against Dreams, making him shoot up his eyes landing on the brunette who is rubbing his eye with his free hand and blinking away the sleep.  
“Who are you?” George asks quietly, panic steadily rising in him. Dream looks at him confused before remembering that George has never actually seen his face.  
“I told you I'd see you soon,” Dream says, smiling dumbly at him. George’s face flashes with recognition. He could recognize that voice anywhere.  
“Dream?” George says ignoring the pain in his throat, color flushing to his face as he leaps over the bed, engulfing his friend in a hug. Dream hugs back without hesitation, he feels George tremble in his arms slightly. He runs his hand over George’s back, the bones sticking out more than they should.  
“You need to eat George” he whispers into George's hair, George just squeezes Dream harder trying to ignore the statement. George pulls back and admires the boy he's spent so many hours talking to overcall, his green eyes are more vibrant than what Dream had described to him, he has light freckles scattered on his cheeks. George runs his finger over a scar on Dream’s forehead, it dips through his eyebrow and stops near his eye.  
“Sister had a fork” Dream explains casually, George bursts out laughing making Dream smile in return.  
“Wait,” George says, cutting off his own laughter, “you’re actually here?” he asks, still unsure.  
“Yes, I'm real, I'm here, and I'm not leaving until you feel better” Dream replies grinning, but his eyes have a hint of something more serious in them. George's stomach flips, he remembers how he's spent the last month or so of his life. Ordering takeout until he finally just stopped eating altogether, sleeping as much as he can but barely sleeping at all, staring at his blank computer for hours willing himself to start a stream. His head spins, everything is overwhelming and he has nothing in his system to keep him going. Dream notices the change in demeanor, he watches George's eyes glaze over.  
“hey, you okay?” He asks softly, not wanting to be too loud. The voice sounds so far away to George, it takes him a moment to pull his eyes from the wall to look at Dream.  
“Yeah yeah um let me show you your room,” George says, trying to focus on the current moment. He stands up, attempting to walk before his legs weakly give out under him. Strong arms wrap around him and he falls into the figure, “I can find it on my own, you need to lay back down” Dream says, setting George back down on his bed. George just nods distantly, “Dream?” he asks quietly.  
“Yeah?” he replies.  
“You sound really far away,” George says, his voice laced with confusion.  
“You need to eat something,” Dream repeats, more to himself than to George, “can you go back to bed if I go to the store really quick?” he asks. George nods, still slightly confused why his head feels so foggy. George leans down again, resting his head on the pillow. His body feels like it's on autopilot, laying down and closing his eyes without thought. He closes his eyes taking deep breaths to calm the butterflies in his stomach. Dream stares down at him, worried, before making quick work of grabbing his key to George's apartment off the messy counter. He locks the door behind him carefully before pulling out his phone and navigating to google maps.  
Soon after Dream leaves George sits up again, the nerves running through his system could prevent sleep no matter the situation. He looks around his room, hyper-focused on every imperfection. His computer setup had collected dust, clothes scattered around his floor. His heart drops slightly.  
He thinks I'm pathetic  
George stands up quickly, black spots cloud the corners of his vision threatening to drag him back into sleep. He has to remind himself how to walk correctly every time he stands up. His stomach is doing front flips as his mind tries to grasp the fact he just met Dream, that Dream came to see him. He drags himself to the bathroom and before he can actually go to the bathroom he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. For the past month every time he gets up he makes an effort to avoid the mirror.  
The dark bags under his eyes have gotten worse and he can visibly see his cheekbones stick out more prominently. The brown of his eyes look more grey, he looks like he's decaying.  
He looks away from the mirror in shame and goes to the bathroom. His body is getting more used to moving again and he can walk to the kitchen with less effort than before. His mouth drops slightly when he sees the condition it's in, random items and food containers. He begins cleaning it up, trying to convince himself that Dream hasn't seen it yet. After throwing away a few pieces of trash his head starts to feel fuzzy and his legs wobbling under him. He presses a cold hand to his forehead and clings to the side of the counter for stability.  
“God damn it” He mumbles under his breath, frustrated by his weak body. George opens the fridge to find nothing but an empty bottle of painkillers and some expired yogurt, he sighs and shuts it. He gives up on cleaning and stumbles to the couch, once he sits down and his muscles ache painfully not having the nutrients to function as they should. He rests his head against the end of the couch, curling up trying to give himself warmth in the cold apartment.  
Even though the cold air makes goosebumps rise on his arms he can’t but feel relieved to have left his room. His stomach growls loudly and he groans in protest, the hunger hadn't bothered him much the past weeks but now that Dream is here he can’t help but care about how he looks to him. His eyes flutter shut but his brain is still hyperactive, thinking about Dreams freckles, and his green eyes. He wishes he got to stare at them longer.  
George's mind moves quickly, leaving little room for him to dwell on certain thoughts. The only thing that pulls him from his spiral is the sound of the door being unlocked and opening. The sounds of plastic bags rustle behind him, footsteps, the sound of the bags being set down, more footsteps, and then.  
“George?” Dream asks quietly, thinking the boy is asleep. George slowly opens his eyes and un-curls himself from the corner of the couch. He looks up at Dream, tears in his eyes.  
“Woah, what's going on?” Dream asks worriedly, sitting next to George on the couch. George shakes his head, trying to wipe the tears away but they come too fast for him to keep up. Dream gently prys George's slender hands from his face, holding the cold hands in his warm ones. Dream pulls Georges by his wrists into an embrace, holding him tightly to his chest. George gasps in the warm air radiating off of Dream, pushing himself into the tall figure. His tears settle and he relishes in the feeling of Dreams arms around him, the sound of his heartbeat, his light humming. George never fully realized what he was missing when he cut himself off of all touch. He missed the feeling of warmth.  
“Dream” George calls out weakly.  
“Yeah?” Dream whispers into his hair.  
“Thank you for coming,” George says timidly as if he was debating saying it.  
Dream only pulls him closer, burying his head in George's shoulder. After a while of resting in the comfortable embrace, Dream breaks the silence.  
“Are you tired?” He asks.  
“Always” George replies.  
“Are you going to sleep?” Dream questions.  
“No,” George says simply.  
Dream nods lightly and pulls away from the hug, George regains composure shivering slightly at the loss of warmth. Dream mumbles something George doesn't catch before standing up and walking to George's room. George panics slightly, feeling like Dream won’t come back. But alas Dream appears from the room, carrying a few blankets. He sets the first two on the end of the couch and takes the softest one. He shakes it out to unfold it and then wraps it around George's shoulders.  
George smiles, he was never a fan of when his family would take care of him when he was sick. It made him feel weak and incompetent but when Dream wraps the blanket around him it feels like a loving gesture, he smiles to himself and Dream looks around. He grabs the remote and hands it to George, “I'm going to make food for us, pick out a show?” Dream says walking to the connected kitchen.  
George flips through the shows on Netflix, he sees that survivor has a few seasons out so he clicks it and chooses a season he remembers Karl talking about. The show plays quietly and he turns it up, Dream laughs lightly at the choice in show as he prepares some food.  
“Here,” Dream says, handing George a small bowl of fruit.  
“You remembered my favorites,” George says staring down at the assortment of colorful fruits, “of course I did” Dream replies nonchalantly before taking a bite from his own bowl. George gingerly takes a nibble from a piece of cantaloupe. His stomach aches in protest, George ignores the pain and tries to focus his energy on the show. He continues eating at a snail's pace, Dream carefully watches George without his noticing. Sneaking glances every few seconds. Dream matched his pace to Georges, eating slowly so George doesn't have to be the only one eating.  
After the next episode starts Dream takes a more thoughtful look at the brunette. His face is twisted in a sour expression, Dream frowns putting his bowl down on the coffee table in front of him.  
“I know that look” Dream says before standing up, George just nods slightly and lets Dream grab his hand pulling him up. Dream quickly leads George to the bathroom, running the sink when they enter. George kneels over the toilet and throws up the small bit of food he had to eat. Dream leans against the wall next to him, rubbing his back absently.  
“Is it hard to go back to eating normally?” Dream asks quietly, his hand falls from Georges back and he flushes the toilet. George nods slowly, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall holding his arms protectively over his abdomen. Dream grabs a cloth from the cabinet and dampens it under the warm water before turning the sink off. He folds the warm cloth and places it on George's forehead, his eyes flutter at the new sensation, he mumbles a thank you. Dream sits down next to George again, handing him a mint from his pocket.  
“Why do you have that on you?” George asks, taking the mint and popping it in his mouth.  
“I had a feeling this would happen,” Dream says sadly and George rests his head onto Dream's shoulder. They sit together for a long time, matching their breath. As the minutes pass Dream can feel George going more limp and putting more weight onto his shoulder. He shifts away from George but reaches his arms out to catch him from falling, George mumbles incoherent words in protest of moving. Dream grins at the delirious George and picks him up bridal style, he carries him to his bed. He sets him down gently pulling the blanket over him once more, Dream presses a kiss to George's forehead before moving to leave. Before he can take a step he feels something grip his hoodie, he looks back to see George with half-lidded eyes staring at him and holding a fistful of his sweatshirt.  
“Please stay,” George says tiredly, Dream smiles down at him knowing he could never say no to anything George asked. He nods and untangles George's hand from his hoodie, Dream moves to the other side of the bed. Climbing under the blanket he feels George roll over and press his face into the warmth of Dream's chest.  
Dream wraps his arms around George, holding him tightly in fear he might just slip from his grasp. A silent tear escapes George before he falls asleep, the feeling of being loved had been lost in his life for so long it's overwhelming. Not until Dream hears soft snoring coming from the boy in his arms does he allow himself to shut his eyes and fall asleep, the jet-lag making it easy.  
The sun seeps through the curtains, golden rays cast over the room. George groans lightly, not used to the sudden light when he wakes up. He stretches his arms out trying to find the person he yearns to be close to, his hands roam over the empty sheets. He squints his eyes open, his curtains are pulled open and he hears shuffling outside of his door. Even though George is exhausted he sits up, his vision temporarily goes black before coming back. He stands up using the wall for extra support as his stiff muscles wake up. His feet make soft noises against the tiled floor of the kitchen as he approaches Dream.  
“Good morning,” Dream says fondly, leading George to the couch.  
“What time did you get up?” George asks while sitting down and cozying himself in a blanket that sits there from the previous night.  
“Not too long ago,” Dream says casually while handing George a cup of tea and a biscuit.  
“This is the most British thing you could have handed me” George teases. Dreams face flushes slightly and he says “just tryna fit in” his smile is contagious making George smile as well. Quiet conversation floats between them as they slowly eat their food, George being able to stomach it this time, the warm tea helps soothe the clawing feeling to throw it up. Dream catches him up on the streams he missed, Twitter, Sapnap, and anything else that comes to mind. George finishes his food and now sips on tea while listening to Dream. George stares at Dream watching how his face looks as he talks, George is still in awe at how beautiful his best friend is. Dream notices his staring but decides to not point it out and continues his story.  
When George finishes his tea, he looks at Dream expectantly.  
“What?” Dream asks, taking George's mug and sets it down.  
“What do we do now?” George asks, making Dream laugh. George smiles shyly, scared that maybe Dream is regretting coming now that he's realized George is so malnourished he can barely function.  
“Do you want to try going on the server?” Dream asks thoughtfully, George tenses up at the thought of talking to everyone again and all the questions they would ask him. He basically ignored them for the past month only texting every once in a while to keep them from worrying too much.  
“No, I don't think I'm ready for that,” George answers honestly, feeling safe enough to do so. Dream nods understandingly and hands George the remote.  
“Then how about we chill and watch shit” Dream says with a grin, George smiles back pushing the remote towards Dream again.  
“I picked last time it's your turn,” George says giggling slightly, the small bit of food helping his body restart. Dream debates what to watch before smirking and putting on ‘Teen Beach Movie” George laughs loudly but doesn't tell him to turn it off. The first half-hour of the movie passes by and George and Dream have sunken into each side of the couch.  
Out of the blue George looks from the tv to Dream, “can I lay on you?” he asks without hesitation. Dream looks over, slightly surprised at George's out of character bluntness, a pink tint had bloomed over George's cheeks when he realized what he asked. Dream nods and shifts position, George crawls over the couch and Dream pulls him in between his legs so he lays flat against his chest but can still stretch his legs out.  
They lay comfortably in each other's arms, crossing an invisible line. They flirted of course and Dream always cared for George's well-being more than the others but they never actually pushed further than that. Pushed to the next level, maybe it was because of the distance or maybe they were too scared. Whatever the reason was, it's long behind them now.  
“You know I hadn't opened my blinds in a month” George informs Dream, the movie continues to play but both their energy is focused on each other. Dream only frowns in response, carding his finger through George's chocolate hair. George sighs happily and melts into the touch, he’s now completely limp while Dream holds him up.  
“I wish I came sooner” Dream whispers as if it was a secret.  
“Why? You're here now” George replies.  
“George you can barely eat without throwing up, if I was here sooner maybe-” George cuts Dream off.  
“It's not your fault Dream, I was being irresponsible, I should've taken care of myself,” George says quietly, wrapping his arms tightly around Dreams torso.  
“What happened?” Dream asks hesitantly, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. George snuggles himself further into Dream as if he was hiding from something. He tries to sort out the words in his head to form sentences.  
“I just saw a few people saying things and Uhm...I don't know I guess I just kinda panicked?” George says his voice pitching higher than usual. Dream tries to connect the words without success.  
“What were people saying?” Dream carefully questions, keeping his words simple.  
“Just stuff about us and how I don’t deserve it,” George says trailing off near the end. Dreams face falls and he tightens his hand into a fist, his mails pressing into his skin. He wants to punch anyone who made George feel less than he is but he knows right now he just needs to be here. He relaxes his hand, resting it on George's back once more.  
“What did they say about us?” Dream asks gently, trying to understand. They have millions of subscribers they see hate all the time, what could George have seen to push him to stop streaming? To stop going on his computer altogether.  
“They were saying stuff about how you didn't want to be my friend anymore,” George says holding back tears, “but you had to because we built the ‘dream team’ brand” he finishes, letting a tear roll down the side of his face and onto Dreams Grey hoodie.  
“I couldn't help but convince myself there was truth in the harsh words” George whispers knowing if he talks he might break.  
“Oh, George” Dream says gently running his hand from George's hand to wipe away the stray tears. Dream lifts George's face up to his, George shifts his weight so his stomach is against Dreams and he's basically completely on top of him. Dream doesn't seem to mind as he cups George's face, for a moment he forgets the conversation. George's eyes are brimmed with tears, despite the pain swimming in them he looks alive. He looks at him for a long while and George doesn't protest only staring back with a similar expression.  
“You’re beautiful you know” Dream mutters, George blushes but melts further into Dream's hands letting his head rest fully in the large palms. George's forearms are rested on Dream’s shoulders and he slides them around his neck, his head falling from his hands and back onto his chest.  
“At first it wasn't bad,” George says breaking the silence, “I was just taking time away from social media, that's what I told you guys and that's what I thought too. Soon I started to feel tired, constantly. Food stopped feeling like a necessity and more like a burden. No matter how much I slept the fatigue never went away, I pieced together it was because I wasn't taking care of myself but I couldn't seem to care enough to drag my body out of bed”. A tear escapes Dream and he clings to George tighter.  
“I'm so sorry you had to go through that for so long, I wish I caught on sooner,” Dream says, his voice breaking in the middle. George doesn't speak, but his actions say more than words ever could. He swiftly untucks his head from under Dream’s chin and stares into his beautiful green eyes. George’s breath hitches when Dream places a hand on his cheek, holding it tenderly. Their eyes desperately search each other trying to communicate everything without words.  
Dream doesn't know if George moves towards him or George moves towards Dream, maybe they both moved forward but next thing he knows George's soft lips are pressed against him. It's slow and gentle, both savoring the feeling of the other. Butterflies erupt in both boys' stomachs, they smile against each other, pure bliss washing over them. Dream pulls back but keeps his forehead pressed against George’s, “you okay with this?” he asks lightly. George nods frantically before pressing their lips back together, their mouths move perfectly with one another almost as if it was coordinated. When they pull back a second time it's to catch their breath, George pants heavily on top of Dream, the lack of energy lowering his endurance. He smiles nonetheless and when Dream smiles back it sends George into a fit of giggles, his head falls back onto Dream’s chest and it vibrates with his own laughter.  
“What are you laughing about?” Dream says though wheezes, and George tries to talk only resulting in him laughing more.  
“I-i just kissed you,” George says, still smiling widely.  
“Yeah, and?” Dream challenges.  
“Nothing, I've just been wanting to do that for a while” George replies. Dream’s face flushes at the thought of George thinking about kissing him. They lay in comfortable silence, both reliving the kiss until Dream hears George softly mumble something.  
“Hm?” Dream questions, George moves to a sitting position, his eyes drooping.  
“I think I should eat again,” George says louder this time, Dream smiles proudly and stands up.  
“What do you want to have?” Dream asks while walking to the kitchen, George shakes his head.  
“I don’t want to think about eating. I just know I probably should '' George answers honestly, hoping it isn't a big deal. Dream nods understandably and starts looking through the fridge, George stands up from the couch the rush of endorphins from the events prior giving him an extra boost. He walks to the island and takes a seat at the bar, watching Dreams movements. He smiles to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if its a bit messy, I don't usually write stories like this. This was originally a one-shot but I might build on it and make it longer. If anyone actually reads this and has some recommendations of how to continue this, please tell me. Thank you for reading!


End file.
